It's a Grown Up Thing
by miikka-xx
Summary: Sequel to 'It's a Kid Thing'. When they were young, Sasuke and Hinata bound themselves to each other. But Sasuke left the village, voiding the contract. 9 years later, he's back and he intends to fulfill his promise. SasuHina. Two-shot. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**miikka_saki:** so, this is the sequel to "It's a Kid Thing" which everybody like, to my relief. This one is actually a two-shot and focuses more on thoughts than dialogue. I hope you enjoy reading this as I have writing it.

**Title:** It's a Grown Up Thing  
**Rating:** K+ or T  
**Words:** 9,703 (in total); 5,528 (for this part).  
**Pairings:**SasuHina; one-sided HinaNaru, NejiHina, KibaHina; slight NaruSaku  
**Warning:** A more darker undertone than it's child counterpart.  
**Disclaimer:**If I owned Naruto, every character would be bisexual so we can pair them up with whoever. :D

**Summary of the prequel:**

Sasuke goes through a number of situations in his first year of Academy to make Hinata his fangirl. Eventually, the two start to like each other until Sasuke decides he wants to keep Hinata. Forever. Solution? Get married of course, and, unexpectedly, Hiashi lets them sign the marriage contract, binding them to wed when they turn eighteen together unless Sasuke becomes an ex-ninja or dies. Of course, there's a catch, to make the Uchiha unaware of Sasuke's decision, Hiashi forbids the two from having any contact until the fateful day of Hinata's eighteenth birthday comes. And so, the tale continues...

-x-

Hinata liked to think she had forgotten about it in the first two years. It had been hard the first few months, with each stealing secret glances at the other. Sasuke had even, out of instinct, attempted to be her partner again and he had abruptly pulled away once he realised what he was doing, fear and sadness swimming in his eyes once they locked with her pale ones. He bowed his head slightly and turned around to ask someone else. It had broken her heart to know this horrible rule stood in between them like a metal door. It was locked until her eighteenth birthday and all they could do was live their lives until one day the lock fell off and the door swung open.

Soon though, they fell into some kind of twisted routine: avoid looking at each other, finding other partners, becoming isolated in their grief. Her grades started falling and, out of desperation, asked Sakura to help her. The girl was nice and explained it well enough but she was almost always distracted by Hinata's fiancé. Ino, really, couldn't care less for paper unless it was under fingers when she painted her nails so her knowledge of what was going on was a bit limited. The boys scared her, except Sasuke though; of course, he had absolutely petrified her at first. There was the rowdy boy with his cute dog, Naruto, the lazy one who always slept, the one that ate chips all day and the quiet boy who always seem to be mumbling something in his sleeve as if he was talking to it.

It was sick and wrong and hard to do, but they eventually forgot it. This engagement, this tie that held them together, was soon filtered away into an obscure dark corner of their memory. Years flitted by, _six actually_, and soon she was thrown against the dog boy and bug boy (as she soon found out). Sasuke was gone with Naruto and Sakura and nobody remembered a thing.

Nobody remembered how they held each other's sleeve, how they talked and laughed and helped each other, how they were always together. Nobody seemed to remember and maybe it was better that way.

But Hinata remembered and it hurt and ached in her heart. Yet she resolved herself and she fell into another hopeless crush for Naruto and admired him. She could love all of him, his faults and strengths and stupidity and resourcefulness. It was as if she could see just a little bit of old, grinning Sasuke who let her say his name without any honorifics. This was Naruto and that was Sasuke and to Hinata's grief, that and this was all the same.

-x-

He was leaving.

Sakura had been roaming the streets at night without abandon and got lost numerous times around the Hyuuga compound area. Hinata or Neji (they were always training late) would escort her back to familiar grounds but soon it became some kind of obsessive routine. Her pink hair flitting around the corners, wide green eyes filled with worry and grief. It didn't take long for Hinata and her cousin to realize that it was because of a certain Uchiha.

Hinata decided maybe she should help and snuck out of the compound. Neji knew though for she had told him about her late departure and eventually acquiesced after almost 10 minutes of convincing.

"You better come soon Hinata-sama!" he had called softly out to her. The guards, half-asleep anyways, barely blinked as she had slipped through the grates, her thin lithe body passing effortlessly through the metal bars. They were used to her late-night excursions into training grounds and her coming back, battered and bruised but smiling slightly from midnight training. It was dark and cool, a familiar path in the stone road leading into the busy part of town. She followed it quickly, breezing through the shadows. If it was one thing Hinata was good at, it was speed. Flexibility was a bonus and she worked hard to at least be good at these strengths of hers. She didn't expect anything to happen, just stumble into Sakura, escort her home and stay for a little while. Neji-nii-san had once slipped that her presence was comforting and Hinata hoped maybe she might have the same effect on the pink-haired girl.

But what she didn't expect to see was Sasuke jabbing Sakura's neck and laying her down on a bench.

They had been talking quietly when Sasuke's eyes hardened and he slammed his hand against the back of her neck and watching her head fall limp against her chest. She slumped in his arms and he swiftly leaned down to swiped his arm under the crook of her legs. She fit into his arms a bit awkwardly but the boy managed to lightly set her down on the bench beside them. Hinata had watched with surprise and could not help but interrupt in her shock.

"Sa-Sasuke!" She gaped in horror, staring at the girl's limp body. His back was turned to her and he half turned his head so she could see the outline of his eyelashes and cheekbone. It was silent and tense, the atmosphere between them and Hinata almost didn't expect anything except silence in return. She saw the silhouette of his eyelashes close over his dark, piercing eyes.

"...are you here to stop me too?" His voice was hoarse, deep and calm. His posture looked entirely relaxed as if this was an everyday conversation. Hinata blinked in surprise at his reply; she was not expecting him to respond.

"A-Are you leaving?" She tried to ask evenly, but her voice trembled in the night air.

"I am." He was cold and neutral but he was talking to her with words and not 'hn's and 'aa's and that was enough for her to know he still thought of her as an equal.

"Please don't," she replied, a hint of desperation slipping into her words. A cold wind passed between them and she continued to watch his half-turned face. Sasuke's eyes however opened and roamed the unconscious form of Sakura on the bench.

"Why not?" he breathed, barely loud enough for the girl to catch.

Hinata blinked before rambling. She remembered saying something like being raised in Konoha, that this was their home, that here was there family, living or dead. She mumbled something about all the girls and boys and adults that admired and fawned over him. But most of all, she probably spoke of Naruto and Sakura and love. She never mentioned herself though, he had probably also forgotten their engagement in his grief for his family.

"Y-You... You love Sakura-chan, d-don't you?" she finally asked, "You love Sakura."

Sasuke stiffened slightly but relaxed almost immediately.

"I care for her, " he admitted quietly, his voice carried by the wind now blowing rather forcefully. Hinata made a slightly 'hah' sound and turned her face downwards. In her rare moment of jealousy, her mouth opened on her own and words slipped past her lips.

"You know, Kiba's petty ni-"

Hinata stopped breathing, her eyes wide in fear, staring down her nose to the kunai pressed against her throat. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and see the dark, pained eyes from the corner of vision. Her heart was hammering fast against her ribcage, her stomach clenching in absolute terror. He - _Sasuke _- had a kunai to _her_throat?! Her body started to tremble and he pressed his front to her back gently. His other hand reached out in front and pressed firmly against her belly, pulling her into him. Hinata's breaths were coming out in pants due to a combination of fear, confusion and embarassment.

Sasuke inhaled sharply and blew hard against her neck sending shivers down her back yet the kunai never wavered from the pale slim throat. The metal was warming up against her jugular and Hinata had half the mind to just scream but the image of blood spilling from her decapitated body never left her mind. Sasuke wouldn't-- no, _couldn't_ kill her.

Could he?

"S-Sasuke?" she murmured, her lips barely moving. The boy moved his hand from her belly skimming her breasts under the jacket until his fingers had grasped her chin. His hand was cold and dry under her heated skin, chilling and sending even more shivers down her spine. Sasuke didn't waste any time roughly turning her head to the side. In her new field of vision she could see Sakura on the bench, as if she was dead, and the streetlight flickered slightly. She could see his black bangs slightly obscuring the corner of her eyes. It was then he unexpectedly pressed his nose into her cheek.

"Hinata..."

His voice was as soft, commanding and loving as she remembered. She almost sagged in relief against him.

But he was gone.

-x-

The Konoha's News Weather Network was renowned for it's pinpoint accuracy. Often praised for them to narrow down the exact location of rainfall at a precise time or where a tornado would hit and when it would disperse many days in advance. The people relied alot on the weathermen and their warnings. If they said it was going to rain, it was going to rain. If it was going snow (which it hasn't in the Fire Country for many decades), it most surely was no matter how unreasonable it sounded.

That day, after the last Uchiha left Konoha, they said in a surpised sort of way, it was going to rain in only one place. The bench by the Konoha gates.

-x-

After Sakura was woken up by two ninjas, she sternly told them in her steady, powerful voice that the last Uchiha had left Konoha. After she had swiftly gathered herself up and left leaving the bench free once again where Hinata found herself lying in the exact same position as the girl the night before. Above her, a dark cloud was looming intimidatingly over her spot. She turned her head to the side to the exact spot where she was held up by kunai. If Sakura had been conscious at that time, what would she have seen? Thought? _Felt_? It was but a few minutes later that fat raindrops started to land on her cheeks and hair and everywhere by the bench. It seemed like one of those bad mood clouds that followed depressed people around. Hinata got up and left, seeing if it would follow.

-x-

Years are actually very short in hindsight, compromised by four seasons, twelve months and only 365 days. When one day passed so fast , it was only a matter of time before a whole year would pass you by. The summers were hot, the winter's cold and the in-between's, the springs and autumns were mild and beautiful and so very short.

Hinata knows this was how she survived, by busying herself with training, nursing and enjoying every season as it passed. Sasuke would rarely cross her mind, he labeled an ex-ninja. There were no ties anymore that held them, no love that sent aches into her heart like in Sakura's. This was this, that was that, and in Hinata's passivity, there wasn't much difference. The only passing worry about the outside world would be if Naruto had eaten yet. If he had remembered to sleep adequately. If he had enough money and perseverance to keep going. If he was ever going to come back.

She had voiced out her concerns once and Sakura had overheard in the nursing ward and scoffed, patting her back and telling her, "He might be an idiot, but he's a strong idiot. He'll be back safe and sound, don't you worry, Hinata-chan."

She passed her Chuunin exams and trained hard with Neji-niisan as much as she could for the Jounin exams. Her father was advancing on her with marriage proposals while she was still fourteen and he wasn't relenting. Her cousin gritted his teeth whenever the subject was brought up at the dinner table. Hanabi, her little sister, would always remark, "You know, that blonde kid might not be so bad, Father."

She was fifteen when Naruto came back, empty-handed yet as strong as she imagined. She blushed and sweated and stuttered and she realized that 'this' and 'that' are very much different.

Naruto would always come back. Sasuke wouldn't.

-x-

She turned twenty-one when the _officially_last Uchiha stepped through the iced Konoha gates.

A thin layer of snow covered the streets and roofs, letting the weak sunlight gleam and sparkle against everyone's eyes. It looked like crystal scattered all across the dirt roads and barely patched up houses. Hinata spent her birthday in the hospital attending to the battered and bruised ninja just back with Naruto, dragging a sick, tired Sasuke all the way from Rain Country.

"What he was doing there, no clue," rambled Kiba as Hinata pressed her hands against his shattered right wrist, "I mean, the rain was getting in the way so friggin' much! Akamaru even got sick! Even ninjas can't see through downpour like that!" The woman smiled, collapsing in the chair next to his bed and watching him out of the corner of her eye. He hadn't changed much, Kiba that is. He could still illustrate rather enthusiastically what he was saying with grand hand motions and his facial expressions moved comically from one sentence to another.

"You get what I'm saying, Hinata?" asked the man, a bright grin stretched across his lips. Hinata stood up, smiled and bowed to leave.

"I must attend to the others, Kiba-kun, please rest." Kiba's bright expression faltered but he fixed himself with a soft, contemplative smile.

"Okay. Thanks, though. Love you, Hinata." The woman giggled at his boyish embarrassed face. She pressed her lips to his forehead, lingering slightly before pulling away.

"I love you as well, Kiba-kun."

Before she reached the door, he called out, "Hey! Do you like me more than that inconsiderate prick that's your cousin?!" Hinata threw her head back and laughed softly.

"I love all my brothers equally, Kiba-kun. You and Shino-kun and Neji-niisan will always be my beloved brothers."

-x-

She glanced once more at her clipboard, flipping through the various documents held together.

"Attended to Neji-niisan, Kiba-kun, Chouji-san and after Shikamaru-san, it's..." She blinked once more and rubbed at the ink on the paper as if checking it wasn't on the sheet.

_Uchiha Sasuke_

She frowned slightly at the name on her list but reluctantly checked his room and where she was. One of the nurses was so engrossed in her clipboard she almost bumped into Hinata, who, in turn, grabbed the lady's arm. The other nurse was startled and stared at her supervisor's white eyes in shock. Hinata smiled sheepishly and let go of the woman's arm. She bowed her head and asked.

"Ah, Kimiko-san, can you please attend to Shikamaru-san? I need my energy to attend to a severely injured ninja." Kimiko, a slight woman with wide, surprised eyes, nodded dumbly as Hinata scribbled the room number on the other's clipboard.

"This is his room and his name's Nara Shikamaru-san."

Hinata turned and fled, leaving the dumbfounded nurse alone in the hallway.

-x-

The room was a plain, sterile white, with glaring lights overhead and a small, unreachable window unless you were seven feet tall. It was a weak attempt at preventing ninjas to escape their wards. The one, thin mattress on the metal bed stand was lumpy and uncomfortable and the only thing that keeped him company was the constant beeping of the machines beside his bed. He lied with his eyes closed on the pillow and kept his body straight. He waited for the nurse to come check on him. Maybe, if he was lucky, it would be Sakura, who had gotten engaged to Naruto (much to no one's surprise). His body ached in places he never knew he had and he winced when moving a body part. His injuries were as followed: his arm was broken in three places, he had a slight concussion, a gash on his thigh, two ribs shattered and nerves severed in his ankle. It would take a miracle (which meant Tsunade) plus a skilled nurse (which meant Sakura) to heal him.

Until then, he would wait. Hinata never crossed his mind.

-x-

The door creaked open slowly then shut and soft, shuffling steps approached his bed. His ears perked up at the slightly nostalgic sound, his brain racking through his memory to identify where he had heard it before.

"Hello, Sasuke." Her voice was soft and gentle with just a hint of anguish coloring her words. He didn't open his eyes; he would ruin the surprise. The nurse placed her clipboard next to his hand and peeled the bed sheet off his upper torso. He heard a slight intake of breath but didn't remark on it. The nurse's hands were cool against his chest and a tingling sensation sweeped into his body. Her breath became slightly faster as her chakra slipped behind his skin.

The whole process was quiet and took a long time. They said nothing to each other except the nurse giving him short, precise instructions to twist his body or test his injuries. It was replied with 'hm's and 'aa's, like a proper Uchiha and he didn't think anything of it. It was after the nurse relaxed in the chair by his bed to regain her footing that she spoke.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke turned his head away from the nurse and finally opened his eyes, glaring at the too high window in his room. It was dark and the light flickered in his room. He slowly shifted his head reluctantly to face the one who attended to him, unable to satisfy his curiosity. No matter how much he thought, he couldn't remember who this person was with soft steps and even softer voice.

She looked sickly in the glaring light, her eyes shining white. Her hair was tied up in a bun and bangs clipped back to reveal her whole, round face. She was pretty, without make-up or any enhancers and her name came tumulting back into his head with extreme force.

_Hinata_.

His eyes were slightly wide but his face never betrayed any surprise. She smiled gently but her eyes never crinkled. She spoke his name but her voice never came from her heart. She was the same yet not. He straightened and felt his more minor wounds once more and was surprised to note that most of them were healed, just a bit sore. Though the concussion and broken arm and shattered ribs still racked pain through his body, his burns, gashes and nerves were healed. She had become skilled in her chakra control. A cloud of shame passed over him; he had not thought of her in years, not since Orochimaru was taken over by his mind. The only thing that might've caused some reminiscence was her cousin, Neji, who had come after him so fiercely he had almost thought that this would be the end.

He stayed silent, lost in thought until her voice, gentle and beautiful, slipped into his awareness.

"Tadaima."

Sasuke blinked and looked at her in the eyes.

"Okaeri."

-x-

She continued to attend to him till hours after midnight, working relentlessly to heal his fractures. The arm being the worst having broken in three places. The dawn was creeping into his window and spilling over his bed, illuminating her hair into a pretty blue. Hinata pressed her hands firmly against one of the fractures and Sasuke grinded his teeth in order to not to scream. The woman let go and looked up.

"Who did this?" she asked with a innocent, questioning glance at his way.

Sasuke stared a while at the appendage as if recalling his fierce fight with the Konoha nins then smirked, "Neji."

-x-

It was a few weeks later that Sasuke had decided to initiate the conversation. Hinata came everyday dutifully attending to his many wounds and brining in Tsunade when necessary. She always worked overtime for him, sitting beside his bed until the first rays of dawn climbed up and shined through his little window. Sakura had even stopped by during visiting hours reserved for only select people (the former Team 7 and the senseis). Sasuke glanced towards the little table by his bedside at the many books and fruit basket that was given to him in hope for him to recover soon. The nurse never said anything about them, merely disregarding them as she focused entirely on her skills.

Conversations were minimized to orders and random questions thrown around to fill in the gaps. Who had died? Who retired? Who became Jounin and ANBU and succeeded their dreams? Hinata always started these talks with her gentle voice prying into his past while he was gone, simple inquiries like, where he had traveled, what did it look like, where to get certain herbs or foods. Sasuke answered them with the least amount of words since he was usually trying to ignore the pleasant tingles running through his body when she pressed her hands firmly against his upper stomach. Today, however, he would try to start their talks, to ask about her. He liked her. She was calm, patient and an excellent healer. Sasuke would grace her with the honour of starting.

"What day was it when I came back?"

Hinata paused, then replied: "A tuesday. December 24. It was my birthday," she added in quickly, ducking her head to hide the blush of embarrassment. Sasuke remained quiet to think for a few moments.

"You're twenty-one."

She didn't look it, really, just a little over seventeen, maybe, with no experience and fluttering hands. That was how she usually got when Tsunade was around her, nervous and trying to impress. It was yet another reason for the Uchiha to dislike the Hokage, he reduced his nurse to a mumbling, incompetent healer. Sasuke looked her over again, no, the girl looked like a girl, yet with such an age, you would think she would a have a ring on her finger and attempt to get home early to cook dinner for her husband. Hinata, on the other hand, tensed as a fierce blush covered her cheeks. It reminded her of her non-existent love-life, of her workaholic disposition in the hospital and most of all, the fact that her hands were on _Sasuke's_ - her ex-_fiance's_ - bare chest.

"Are you not engaged?" he asked, his brow furrowed like a little boy, "Or have you lost your ring?" Hinata hunched even more, her chin almost touching her chest.

"I-I, well, um, see..." she swallowed and tried again, "N-No, Father wanted to wait..."

Sasuke's expression grew even more confused, "For what?"

Hinata almost hyper-ventilated right there; her hands were on his chest, he was half naked, they had a history, Father wanted to wait...

Oh god, Father wanted to wait...

"F-For you."

-x-

He spent the night recollecting and piecing his childhood.

He was surprised of his feelings towards this petite woman and how he had treated her in his past. They had a history, rich and cute and complex but was never fulfilled to what it was expected to be. They had held hands, embraced, been in more intimate positions than any other woman in his life. Karin had gotten awfully close but he had never had an active part in her physical flirtations. He had _never_pressed her against him before. And to think, he had done something so provocative in the middle of the street with Sakura right beside him _before_he hit puberty. His sex-drive had been pretty inactive and only reacted to either Sakura or someone that looked similar to Hinata. He had never noticed before and it embarassed him because if he was such a tactical genius, why he couldn't notice the link between his attractions?

Yet he felt awkward thinking of his nurse in a way he hadn't thought of ever. He had liked her and her looks and personality but never in a sexual way and yet here he was, lying in his hospital bed, trying to restrain certain thoughts slipping into his mind. He liked her even now, even when she became red and nervous, and the calm aura that surrounded her everyday. It soothed him and his anxiety for being locked in a room for too many days. The chakra behind her hands, the scent of her hair, the calm, composed face, they all helped him to relax, to help him get a good night's sleep. She resembled his mother quite a bit, Sasuke realized unexpectedly, the way her fingers would comb gently through his hair (it had gotten much longer) to push it off the back of his neck... This attraction, as he viewed it, was still present, even after so many years, _nine _in total, of not seeing each other. Deep down, in his dormant black heart, was a craving for her. Sasuke wanted her, mind , body and soul. And he could; the circumstances were set, specifically on a piece of paper with their blood smeared over it, sitting deep in the Huuga compound. Yet he couldn't help but feel that he had to make sure these feelings were mutual before even speaking to her about this engagement business.

Tomorrow, Sasuke decided, he would commence.

-x-

"If I was killed, who would you marry?"

He had not thought about what to ask her when the following day came, but decided on a more indirect approach to see if there was a certain someone that clung to her heart other than him. Sasuke knew, deep inside, there was something for him there, whether it be hate or love, she still acknowledged his presence and personality. Now, conversation was not exactly Sasuke's forte but he would drive on, to claim her, to _keep_her. Dark eyes watched in curiosity as Hinata froze, the chakra emanating from her hands faltering. Her face became a flaming red and he watched her comically switch her facial expressions from surprise to laughter to embarrassment. Her face turned a cherry red as she ducked her head, trying to cover up her obvious discomfort.

"I..." she faltered, "I don't know..." Her eyes were contemplative as she racked her memories of all the men she could consider: Shino, Kiba, Neji-niisan, Shikamaru, these men did not interest her as Naruto did, they did not evoke the same feelings she experienced being around the blonde. Hinata looked up sharply, her eyes boring into his, a questioning expression painted on her face.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to blush. Her gaze was uncomfortable, pinning him to the bed. His chest tightened as his eyes roamed her face, memorizing each detail, each shadow of her. She would be his, soon enough, she always was, yet he kept hesitating. A one-sided relationship was twisted, he had experience, being born in a mighty clan who believed in keeping the bloodline pure. His mother was not from the main family, a quarter foreigner in actuality and was forced to be with his father. An arranged marriage was a twisted love. She was too pure, too innocent to let the despair of not being with the one she wanted. He swallowed and tried again. Uchiha Sasuke was never the most social creature but he was gonna take his chances.

"Who do you want?" Suddenly, his brow furrowed, "Or is it a woman?" Hinata's eyes widened comically, her face red from too much embarassment. She gave up on forcing chakra out of her hands and calmed herself down to think and talk coherently. Inwardly, she wondered why her patient was asking such intimate questions all of a sudden. Maybe there was a chance that he remembered their childhood, their empty promises and innocent smiles. A shake of the head and the thoughts dispersed. No, Sasuke wasn't sentimental like that, he would rather reach over and grab whatever he wanted. Looking down into her lap, a half-coherent string of words drifted through her brain, _was it her that he wanted_? She certainly didn't like that thought and decided to take the safe route.

"Father has been implying that I should settle myself down with Shikamaru-san or Neji-niisan," she replied simply, her eyes betraying nothing as she looked bravely into his own black ones. The Uchiha pursed his lips slightly then let out a sigh. This was a pain, he didn't want brain boy by Hinata at all, but he would probably have the best chances to claim the girl. Neji was quite influential with the Hyuuga leader though, so he was a force to reckon with. The Uchiha gritted his teeth, his rivals were fierce but she had not answered the question properly. This conversation was making her nervous, he realized.

"Not your _father_. I'm talking about _you_." His tone sounded a touch irritable but Hinata knew it wasn't any harm. Nothing Sasuke did was actual harm in the room. He was weak, injured, anxious and vaguely claustrophobic from being enclosed in the same room for so many days. But his days as a wandering nin had probably prepared him mentally to take on being captured and put into a small room. Claustrophobia was a but a minor effect in his mental system which was thoroughly prepared for anything life could throw at it. Hinata shook her head again; her thoughts were getting off topic and she wanted to answer him because no one had ever asked her about herself so directly, so personally. She looked down at her lap and thought deeply about the men she knew.

"I think..." she paused and Sasuke leaned forward without him realizing, "I think I just wouldn't marry."

This was it. This was the answer he had wanted. His wanderings were almost the same as him being dead and here she was, as she claimed, single and without a man. This was his chance and he would take it, slam it against the wall and wring it for all it was worth. Hinata would soon be his and he couldn't stop himself because this was it, this was Hinata, and vaguely, in his mind, the words _I_ _love you_ formed in front of his mind's eye.

Sasuke's face openly showed surprise, alarming Hinata as the cardiograph's beeping spiked suddenly. He swallowed and thought again, for love was a different matter entirely. Lust he was used to, since he felt that burning sensation every time he saw Sakura in his years wandering and girls with dark, choppy hair and gentle smiles. He took all these girls to bed, slept with them but nightmares still plagued his mind. It was as if his body was unconsciously craving for the soothing presence of this girl, this girl that he _loved_. Sasuke's world tilted on his axis. Too fast, it was all too fast, he had only known her for a few months after returning and already such a strong bond had formed. Remnants of his childhood swept through his mind, he had loved her back then too, a childish, innocent wanting for the girl no one else could have. And on that dark night, when Sakura lay peacefully on the bench, when he caught sight of her wide, round face and choppy, dark hair windswept, an overwhelming urge to cling to her had arisen. He had loved her even than, without him realizing it. Even now, here, bedridden, he wanted to take her in his arms, to love her, to lay with her. He leaned over and suddenly the scent of lavender was drowning his sense of smell and he realized his nose was almost buried in her hair. Did she always smell like this? Was she always so warm, so gentle? Hinata looked at him with wide, wide eyes.

"I remember," was all he said before she grabbed her clipboard and fled the room.

Sasuke fell back into his bed, new thoughts racing relentlessly in his head.

"I love you."

_IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou_

-x-

**miikka_saki:**Uwa, first part is done, I'll update in two weeks. I hope you liked this part. Hm, yes, Sasuke might seem OOC but I tried hard to keep him IC. But if I keep him completely IC, he'll fall in love with Naruto and I can't have that happen. (Oh c'mon, it's so obvious Sasuke is gay for Naruto.)

Reviews (and flames) are wanted, needed and accepted. 'I like this' or 'I hate this' is good enough for me. :D


	2. Chapter 2 with Epilogue

**miika_saki:** LAST CHAPTER! W00T! I just found out that this two-shot is as long as the prequel. I just couldn't find a way to split this up and decided to cut in between the varying POVs. We concentrated alot on Sasuke's thoughts the last time so I want to try writing in Hinata's head just once. There's a lot of dark undertones, fluffiness, and a bit of cursing that shouldnt really offend but still. I squeezed in an epilogue because the ending pissed me off. Well, actually the epilogue pissed me off because it was part of the ending so I decided to split them up. It's not quite how I wanted it to turn out but I'm still a bit proud of it.

**Title:** It's a Grown Up Thing  
**Rating:** T  
**Words:** 5,494  
**Pairings:** SasuHina; slight NaruSaku; one-sided NejiHina and KibaHina  
**Warnings:** FLUFFINESS. Dark undertones, dabs of cursing.  
**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Naruto. If I did though, Kakashi would SO be the main character. (loves him to pieces)

**Summary of the prequel:**

Sasuke goes through a number of situations in his first year of Academy to make Hinata his fangirl. Eventually, the two start to like each other until Sasuke decides he wants to keep Hinata. Forever. Solution? Get married of course, and, unexpectedly, Hiashi lets them sign the marriage contract, binding them to wed when they turn eighteen together unless Sasuke becomes an ex-ninja or dies. Of course, there's a catch, to make the Uchiha unaware of Sasuke's decision, Hiashi forbids the two from having any contact until the fateful day of Hinata's eighteenth birthday comes. And so, the tale continues...

**Summary of the last chapter:**

9 years later, Uchiha Sasuke has returned from him defection battered and bruised. Hinata is assigned as his nurse and the two bear each other's presence for three months. It was only a matter of time before Sasuke, after many other self-discoveries, realizes he loves Hinata. Hinata, on the other hand, is a bit shaky on her feelings and his.

--

Hinata, on the other hand, was replaying all their instances together in the past three months to see if she had revealed that oh-so-important secret. That she remembered too, that she wanted him to stay in that room with her and that she might just possibly have uncovered feelings that lied dormant within her. He was still the same as she remembered: aloof, arrogant, powerful, cold and possessive. Gods, he was possessive, and that had been the main reason Hinata had tried to tear all ties from him. He viewed her as an object, he viewed her as something pretty behind the window at a toyshop that he could grab and buy from her father whenever he wanted. She didn't believe his feelings to be of love; maybe a twisted wanting for a replacement of the family that was so cold with him. He wanted something warm and soothing beside him to make himself feel better. Sasuke was selfish and possessive and he wanted his toy back. The nurse could not let the happen, their relationship was supposed to be strictly patient-healer and end it in another month after all preliminary chakra healing was done and the patient had to deal with traditional methods.

Hinata could not love Sasuke, because he did not love her and she wanted to cry. She loved Naruto and he didn't love her back but she still kept chasing, relentlessly until the fateful day after all of them turned twenty, the blonde whipped a small pretty ring from his back and offered it to Sakura. She could remember every detail; him smiling brightly at her as he waved the ring box all around, saying, "You can have it, Sakura-chan, but only on one condition, you have to marry me." And Sakura had burst into tears and pummeled him into the ground then healed him and cried all over again. Then, Hinata swallowed, she said yes. Neji had hugged her after, and whispered soothing words and Hinata almost believed that she loved him more than Naruto. So she almost let him sleep with her, immobile in her utmost grief. Yet it was Neji who had denied himself. Because it was wrong to sleep with someone that did not care for you.

Of course this only implied within the village. On missions, if you had to use sex as countermeasure or seduction tactic, than it was perfectly acceptable. Especially with kunoichi who had to frequently use their brash beauty as a way to extort imformation. They were trained in manipulating love and using seduction once they achieved the Chuunin level and in Jounin, it was usually perfected. There were not many females in the rank of ANBU, but the ones that were had transformed manipulation, be it sexually or other wise, into an art.

Even Hinata was no virgin. She had long sacrificed that word when she was sixteen and was sent on an infiltration mission. Dressed as a geisha, she slept with the drug dealer and she seduced him with her quaint charm until his eyes only shined with love whenever he looked at her. After that, it had been easy to extort information. The affair ended after Kiba barged in and caught the man in his dirty, drug-dealing act. Shino had easily (with a faint, malicious smile on his face) killed the man and mutiliated his face so much that no one could recognize him after that. Yet Hinata had yet to sleep with someone she knew, someone from the village, someone who she loved. And she loved Sasuke, she realized vaguely, no matter how hard she tried to cover her feelings up by being infatuated with Naruto or Neji or Kiba or Shino or anyone. Love was blind, they said, and Hinata finally found out what that meant.

She was blind. She could see no one but Sasuke, she could want no one but Sasuke. Nothing would ever change that fact, ever since that year with him, young and beautiful, in the Academy. Being blind was not as amazing a realization than the fact that she _loved_ Sasuke and he might, just possibly, love her back. For Sasuke, though, love would be hard, after seeing everything as an object, loving a person would be undeniably difficult. Hinata looked at her hands, they were still and dry, calm as they ever could be.

_I love Sasuke. And I'm okay with that._

Hinata touched her face with her dry, cool hands and gasped. She was crying.

-x-

As usual, she entered his room as quietly as she always did. The door shut gently and she slipped into the chair by his bed. There were no new things on his bedside table, the fruit long gone by the ravenous Uchiha. The books lay there, untouched, merely collecting dust in the white room. The cardiograph on the other side of his bed beeped monotonously, fading in with the background noise. His heartbeat was calm as he leaned against the wall, the pillow cushioning his bare skin from the cold, white wall. A book was held between his hands as his eyes roamed the page, engrossed in his reading. She tried to peek at the title put to no avail was she able to find out what the man was reading. Sasuke glanced up, a bored expression on his face

"Hinata." She didn't respond to his acknowledgement but merely placed her clipboard down in her lap with her hands overlapping on it. The cardiograph beeped just the same, she noted, even when the Uchiha laid his book down on his lap, folding the corner of the page he was on. The title stood out on the black cover with red block letters: Bloodline Limits. The nurse lowered her gaze from the title, ashamed.

"Sasuke," she murmured.

The Uchiha straightened and held out his still injured arm for her. Deft, warm hands held the arm and he winced when they pressed against the still healing fractures. The nurse nodded to herself slightly, quickly going through calculations in her head. Finally, the familiar warming sensation of chakra passed underneath his skin down to the marrow of his bone. Sasuke relaxed himself, satisfied with no longer having to deal with the pain. Opportunity for conversation finally seemed to rise between them and the man took advantage of it.

"What am I labeled as?" he asked, his lips barely moving. Hinata glanced down at his arm before looking up to lock eyes. She opened her mouth then quickly shut it. The answer was quite obvious that she was slightly shocked for him to ask such a question. Did he not hear the whispers behind his door, the proud looks his teammates and senseis and the Hokage gave him when they dropped by to note his progress? The overwhelming positive energy that surrounded him when they took him out of his ward to get a breath of fresh air was, in fact, not noticed at all? Hinata pulled her hand away from his arm, done with daily healing session and moved towards his chest. She hid her smiled of incredulity from the man when he bore through her with his imposing gaze.

"A hero," Hinata finally replied, smiling slightly. Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise. That seemed unexpected. He would not think a ninja who ran away from his village, who dishonoured the Hokage would come back and be given the title of a 'hero', of all things. Curiosity bubbled in him and, before he could stop himself, Sasuke pried for more information.

"For killing?" he asked, disbelief lacing his words. Hinata sighed yet maintained her serene smile and closed her eyes. The man's eyes, now no longer entranced by the other's, trailed down the round face and rested on the plump, red lips that were slightly chapped and utterly kissable. It was not fair, he thought, to be distracted by her when she was going to explain one of the most important details of what happened.

"Yes," she started, "eliminating Orochimaru and Itachi and weakening the Akatsuki is considered heroic considering you survived." Her lips moved steadily, shaping the words oh-so-perfectly. He took in the information slowly, letting the gravity of it sink in before realization clouded his eyes and disabled his brain from talking. Being around Hinata seemed to loosen his jaw quite a bit for the next words that escaped his lips almost destroyed this delicate relationship they had built over the last few weeks.

"The contract is still on."

Hinata almost choked. To think that Sasuke would still even consider that document much less intending to act on it seemed to scream 'I love you', or so Hinata hoped. But she had been crushed so many times, over and over again, and the possibility of Sasuke loving her back was too low, too shallow. The Uchiha regarded her a toy that he would use then throw away and find a new one. She wanted to tell him, to say that she loved him but could not marry him. Considering her age, 21, and her occupation, Jounin and healer, it was a miracle to still be alive at the moment. Too old, they were too old to marry. Sure, Sakura and Naruto had done it, but they knew. They knew they loved each other and it was not a matter of 'will he marry me?' but something like '_when_will he marry me?'. To have that confidence with each other was something that she and Sasuke could never make, not when there was only love from one side and possessiveness on the other. She shook her head fiercely.

"Sasuke," she said pleadingly, "Sasuke." The Uchiha caught her face between his rough, scarred hands and stilled her.

"I love you," he said, and his voice was so strong and determined and _confident _that tears sprung from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks at an alarming pace.

"Sasuke, you don't!" she cried, her voice breaking, shattering (like her heart, much like her heart), "You don't love me. You don't _know_how to love!" Sasuke blinked in surprise. But he did, damnit, he loved her like she wouldn't believe. He wanted her heart, her soul, her body. He wanted to embrace her, he wanted to make love to her, he wanted to smell her hair every morning and embrace her whenever he wanted. He wanted to do everything, and he wanted everything and he could accept everything. Was this not love? How could Hinata even utter such words was beyond him. No... no... no...

"No. No, no, no," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers, "I love you. I want you. I need you. I accept you. I'll do anything for you." Hinata shook her head weakly.

"In a matter of almost three months, Sasuke?" she asked, her wide eyes imploring and fierce, "you have come to love me in just three months, Sasuke?" Her voice shook and trembled like an autumn leaf, ready to fall and waiting for that gust of wind to lead her away. This was him, this was Sasuke. Greedy, possessive, grabby, touchy and wanting. Hinata couldn't believe herself. How could she love someone who could so easily swing their heart from one woman to another?

"Do you not have another, Sasuke?" she pressed on, "Don't you have something you love?" She watched Sasuke shake his head roughly, pressing his heated forehead against hers again, their noses bumping into each other and lips a hair's breadth from each other.

"Someone. I love someone, Hinata. You." Why? Why was his voice so damned confident, cried ther nurse in her head. Why did he look so determined to have her? Even toys had their limit. This line that had been crossed a long, long time ago by her heart. She could still feel his breath against her neck and his kunai against her throat. That was the moment she realized, yes Sasuke still wanted her. And if the opportunity presented itself, she would give all of her to him. So why now? Why was she denying this pseudo happiness now? Hadn't she held herself together for this moment? Rejecting her father's propositions day after day, politely declining Neji's loving gestures and outwardly ignoring Kiba's pursuits. So cruel, she thought, she was so cruel. It made her sick. She was such a disgusting creature, using her courtiers to get over her grief. Hinata curled her fingers around Sasuke's hands that held her cheeks. The cardiograph's beeping was quite fast, a vague part of her mind noted.

"I love you as well, Sasuke," she murmured, dragging his hands off her face, "So I'll give myself to you. I will be here, even when you get tired of me. I will be waiting. I shall bear your children, clean your home, cook you food... I will love you, Sasuke, forever." There she said it. Her mouth felt sullied; dirty. How could she say those sick words when her heart wished for the opposite. Her heart wanted love back but sometimes that didn't happen.

Sometimes, fairy tales didn't come true.

"No, Hinata..." he sighed, his breath making her bangs flutter, "This is not what I want..." Hinata jerked her head up suddenly, a incredulous look painted across her tear-stained face.

"Then _what_do you want, Sasuke!" she cried, a note of hysteria lacing her voice, "I have given everything to you. My everything is yours! I can give you nothing else!" Her nails dug painfully into the flesh of his hands that she held on so tightly to. This Sasuke, could she truly love him? What did he want? Her money, property, power? She had nothing but this job and a little apartment three blocks down the road. White eyes watched his face so imploringly, almost staring until Sasuke snapped.

"No, Hinata!" he snarled, "I-I... I want to prove to you that I love you! That I will never leave you. Goddamnit, Hinata! I've loved you since 15 years ago! _For fifteen years, I have loved you_."

A silence settled over the room, blanketing them in different ways. Sasuke felt like suffocating under the pressure, feeling the air leave his lungs and never coming back. There, he had finally said it, what he knew. Deep inside, he had known it. That he was in love with this little, quaint ninja-girl with white eyes and dark hair and soft smile. Love was a difficult thing to describe, in Sasuke's opinion, but he would prove it to her. Love was true. Love existed. There was such thing as this torturous, heart-wrenching feeling inside him when he saw her pained expressions. That an undeniable joy seemed to always sweep over him when she shot him a smile. And he remembered her. Did that not count? Back then, she had been refused to be with him.

("_N-Neji-niisan... s-said that I-I couldn't t-talk w-with you a-anymore, U-U-Uchiha-san_!")

Back then, he had cried with her.

He would cry now.

Hinata gasped when he saw a little trickle of a tear run down his pale cheek. She wiped away hurriedly with her fingers, her eyes looking around frantically for the problem. A fragment of memory sifted and slid into her mind's eye before disappearing underneath the sand of memories.

("_Hyuuga, p-please stop crying_.")

In desperation, she gripped his face with her own warm hands, dropping his own. Turning his face every which way, she couldn't see the problem. The fact that she couldn't tell what was making her love cry made her want to cry even more. It hurt. Her heart hurt. One of her hand found it's way to her chest and gripped the fabric of the nurse's outfit as if that could still the aching. Did Sasuke always make her hurt like this? More tears erupted from her white eyes when she realized that yes. It _had_ached; hurt; pained her this bad. No, even worse, because she knew whole-heartedly that she loved him even if she had no words for that feeling that blossomed in her core when he was around. Exhaustion and shame pulled her body until she slumped against his chest, her head cushioned between his neck and shoulder. It still hurt.

"Hyuuga, please stop crying."

Hinata let out a heart-broken giggle because that was how the memory went. And because he remembered. He remembered the innocent love they shared. This was the tie that had binded them for so long. Memories and hidden love. No contract could ever break this. It was but fate's pity that it wasn't broken. Hinata was thankful. She felt arms wrap around her body. They were very strong and very warm.

Sometimes, fairy tales don't come true.

Other times, they do.

-x-

Hinata awoke groggily against something warm and breathing and had no shirt on. It was obviously male from the flat chest pressed against her back and the strong forearm around her waist. Her heart started to beat erratically until she remembered what had happened last night. Sasuke had told her that he loved her. And, eventually, she started to believe him. This was something they couldn't deny, no matter how far or how long it was. They would have to learn. Learn, maybe, from Naruto and Sakura of love and everything that came with it. Could marriage come with it? That was but a another vague question hovering in the back of her mind when Sasuke pressed his lips against the nape of her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

"Sasuke," she mumbled, a bit alarmed from the close contact. Sasuke's breath ghosted over her neck when he easily turned her body on it's other side so they were facing each other. His eyes were as attentive and piercing as they had been last night, even clouded from tears.

"Yes?"

Hinata sucked in her breath, feeling a blush covering the apple of her cheeks to the bridge of her nose.

"Can I leave the bed now?"

Sasuke barked out a rough laugh, catching her ducking head with his fingers. He brought it back up and turned it to the side. Her new line of vision consisted now of the ceiling and a afew dark strands of hair that tickled the corner of her eyes. This time there was no Hiashi, no Sakura to bear witness to when his nose nuzzled her cheek in a puppy-dog way, eliciting a small smile on her lips. He wasn't done yet though, she knew, her eyes closed, her heart beating fast and her toes curled in anticipation. Only a few seconds later, his lips brushed her skin before pressing against it. His lips were thin, soft and slightly chapped but she didn't mind, especially when he started mouthing words she knew by heart.

"Marry me."

Even now, fifteen years later, she couldn't do it.

Hinata could never escape Sasuke.

"Yes."

-x-

Confronting Hiashi was still as intimidating as ever to Sasuke, almost the same as when he was only six-years old with no idea of how the world worked. Of course, 15 years later, Hiashi had retired and tended to the current Head of House by providing them with advice and opinions. He had gray and white streaked in his long hair with more wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. When it came to arranged marriages, it was the Head of House that let decisions be passed and discussed to the child's parents so it wasn't unusual for Sasuke and Hinata to approach Hiashi.

The Hyuuga had also changed rather dramatically during the Uchiha's absence. Hanabi had not been cursed with the seal due to Neji's decision to abolish the curse seals. Though this was a chivalrous decision to make, the ones with curse seals could never have it off. It was harsh, but the law had to be made before anything else happened. Neji had left his bandages to show off his seal and his triumph to become Head of House, another thing no Branch member had been capable of. Though, it was rather interesting that if by chance, Neji passed away, it would be Hanabi who would be next in line. Hinata was considered too old (only one year younger than the man) to be handed the title. This did not mean Hinata had nothing to do with Hyuuga anymore. Quite the opposite: she did have a rather influential part in decision making due to Neji's feelings and the Branch members obvious favoritism over her than her sister. It also helped that her father was the former Head.

Partly due to the rule of 'child's parents making the decision' and the other to Hinata's rather charming way with the Branch guards, Sasuke and Hinata had gotten an impromptu audience with the former Head of Hyuuga. The man, at the moment, was seated beside the window, a sake cup in his hand as he watched his daughter and her _ex_-ex-fiancé kneel humbly before him. They straightened and waited for Hiashi to permit then to speak. The old man placed his cup down beside him and tucked his hands in his long kimono sleeves.

"You wish to invoke the contract, yes?" he asked simply, white eyes boring into Sasuke's. The Uchiha nodded curtly. Hiashi cocked his head; the Uchiha now was much different from the one fifteen years ago. The little Sasuke had fidgeted and sweated and shook and grasped Hinata's sleeve for support. He wasn't as focused, as intense, as big as the one right now. The current Sasuke had an aura of authority and a slight charismatic charm about him from his perfect face to his well formed frame. The Uchiha right now was ready to marry his daughter. Hiashi's lip twitched; but that didn't mean who would hand her over without a fight.

"You do know you were classified as an ex-ninja after leaving Konoha," he said, a challenging look in his eyes. Sasuke nodded swiftly, his eyes flashing.

"Then what makes you think that the contract is still valid?" The Uchiha stiffened and restrained his snarl.

"I am currently held in the regard of a hero, Hiashi-sama," he replied, his voice strong and deep as it echoed throughout the room. Hiashi tilted his head forward; so the punk had the audacity to use his name. He looked at his daughter who's eyes watched her husband-to-be's so intently that she failed to note her father's gazing. So the punk had made his daughterr fall in love with him. How problematic.

"True, yet was there a clause that said we can revive the contract even after being nullified?" he asked, his tone curt with a 'dare you' laced into his tone. It was almost suicidal, egging on the Uchiha, the strongest shinobi to grace Fire Country, but Hiashi blamed his stubbornness on old age. He was quite aged, and, he thought with a smug look, with wine, he got better every year. His attention swiftly returned to the boy-- _man_ sitting before him.

"Not that I am aware of," answered Sasuke, gritting his teeth. Hinata, silent and watching throughout the whole ordeal, spoke up.

"You are being unfair, father," she said firmly, though her eyes did not meet Hiashi's. The former Head gazed at his daughter, affection obvious in his eyes yet still she dared not raise her head.

"You wish to marry him?" he asked quietly, ignoring Sasuke for the moment. Hinata sucked in a deep breath and raised her face quickly, locking eyes with the man she had feared and respected for all her life. With a determined look, she held the stare, digging deep into his eyes. What she saw made her start. She could see the same look on the old man's face that she similarily saw on Shino's face. This platonic affection that always made her flustered, flattered and embarrassed. She could see fatherly love in his eyes, love she had almost never seen because she was too scared to raise her head, to meet his gaze, to stand up for herself. Tears welled up in her eyes and Hinata gasped as one of them rolled down her cheeks.

"Y-Yes, I do want to marry him," she said, wiping each new tear that rolled down her cheeks, "I want to fulfill the contract." Sasuke watched her, alarmed at her crying before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her against his side. Hiashi watched the exchange, the development between two people. He had told his wife about the contract when she lay on her death bed. The arrangement to marry off her first daughter. The Lady of the House had been angry, of course, but had relented after Hiashi had assured time after time that this boy cared for Hinata deeply. However, he couldn't say the feelings were being reciprocated by his daughter. Only 15 years later could he say with certainty that yes, they were in love with each other. He scoffed:

"You are only 3 years late," He got up and left. Still in the room, Sasuke rubbed Hinata's back until her crying subsided. She laughed quietly, pulling away. Crying so often was actually a new thing for her as an adult. Sure, when she was young and still a genin, tears would always stream down her face in her frustration but after passing the Chuunin exams, she built walls around her, covered them up with names like self-esteem and confidence. Then Sasuke came back and tore them all down, confessed his love and shattered all the lies she had constructed. Every time she cried, every time she gasped, every time she laughed, something would be lifted from her shoulders, drift away into nothingness and Hinata would feel better and lighter... Was this happiness? Being okay by being yourself, being satisfied with yourself, discovering new things and overcoming them with yourself? Even if Naruto had liked her back, even if they were in love with each other instead of him and Sakura, Hinata knew, deep inside, she would still be weak and stumbling for her own way, ever hidden by Naruto's grand shadow.

Sasuke's shadow was twisted and confused and would never hide Hinata, she knew. Sasuke himself was struggling to get out of his own shadow and she knew she would help him find that escape, that happiness. There were many things they hid from each other, secrets no one but they themselves knew, experiences never to be relived and inner demons that they would have to fight. Yet this all paled in comparison to the fact that Hinata loved Sasuke and that was that. That she could accept Sasuke for everything he was, whatever inner conflict he would need to resolve, anything. A realization hit Hinata suddenly and she jerked around to face Sasuke. The Uchiha blinked in alarm and watched his love's peering face. Was there something on his face? Bringing a hand up, he touched his cheek then the other one. Hinata collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"Th-There's nothing on your face, Sasuke," she giggled, "I just realized something." Sasuke watched the woman in amusement.

"Oh? That I'm perfect in every way?" he gloated jokingly, a faint smile on his lips.

Hinata peered at his face and smiled a beautiful smile, where her eyes crinkled at the sides and her eyes twinkled and Sasuke felt like pile of Uchiha goo. It was a nostalgic feeling from back when they were kids.

"Yes, you _are_ perfect."

Suddenly, there was a clack and the sliding door opened and closed, letting Hiashi back in.

The old man seated himself in front of the pair as they fixed themselves back into kneeling positions. He placed the old, worn out scroll in front of them and unrolled it. The familiar brown smudges lay there, proof of agreement. Hiashi read the scroll silently until, after a few minutes, he looked up and gave a slight smile (mostly directed towards his daughter).

"The contract is still valid. You shall be married as soon as you wish to be."

--

Epilogue.

Because no endings ever finish with 'happily ever after'.

--

The marriage was a small ceremony in the Hyuuga compound with select people including Teams 7 and 8 and the various senseis. The Hokage stopped for a few minutes, admiring Hinata from under her veil. It was a traditional wedding where the wife and husband shared sake cups and asked for the blessings of the gods. There were not many people who weren't surprised at the development of Sasuke and Hinata's relationship into a full-blown marriage. They respectfully gave their congratulations and gifts then left as quietly as they had come (except for Rock Lee who was yelling about the beauty of a Hyuuga-Uchiha union formed through the strong bonds of love). Eventually, Tenten coerced him (with a few utensils as no one brought weapons to weddings for that would be offensive to the bride and groom) to leave. Neji had bowed low to Hinata and pressed his lips against her cheek in his form of acceptance of the marriage. Of course, Sasuke had taken that the wrong way and punched the Head of Hyuuga. Naruto had to knock out his best friend while Tenten used a few more utensils and Gai-sensei to get Neji off the Uchiha.

Okay, so the wedding wasn't exactly a quiet one but Hinata was happy while Sasuke sported a bruise against his cheek almost identical to the one Neji had for the rest of the week. After, the woman moved her husband and in her-- no, _their_apartment building a few blocks from the hospital and continued working as a nurse. A year later, she became pregnant and bore a daughter. Soon, they were moving into the Uchiha compound to make room for their child. Their daughter never opened her eyes after birth and was declared legally blind, much to the grief of Hinata and Sasuke. Two years later, Hinata bore twins, both boys and they were also declared blind.

They worked endlessly to teach them ninja arts despite their blindness and were surprised to note that they were adept learners, relying on sound and smell to fight. They possessed grace and almost Gothic-like beauty that was the result of Hyuuga and Uchiha genetics and entered the Academy at normal ages. They graduated also at the qualified age of twelve. It was then that something amazing happened.

Sasuke had refused to let Hinata have any more children and concentrated on raising them while his wife worked tirelessly at the hospital. He was qualified for ANBU and left his children in the care of Neji, who never married, while he went on short assassination missions. It was one day, after killing a human slave smuggler, that Sasuke got an urgent message to go to the Hyuuga compound. There, he met with Hinata who was crying in happiness as she embraced their daughter. The girl turned her head and watched him with her shadowed gray eyes, pupil-less and piercing.

And so, at twelve years old, their daughter had opened her eyes. It was only a matter of time, after she made Chuunin, that a new bloodline limit was discovered. The ability to predict actions-- no, read minds of living things. Both boys awakened the same way as well, obtaining their bloodline limits during the Exams. Hinata and Sasuke, through all this, loved and cared for them as much they needed to, adjusting their children to the sight of the world.

It was only a matter of time when news reached the world.

In the hidden village of Konoha, three hauntingly beautiful children who could kill with their eyes closed had risen.

From a new clan:

Hiken.

--

End Part 2.

--

**miikka_saki:** Fin. End. Done. Finito. Over. Finally. I struggled so much over the last few paragraphs and I STILL don't like them! Ugh! And the middle part irked me, when they wake up and stuff. Ah well, it's like drawing. You have the perfect image in your head but when your hand touches the paper, it's like BAM. WTF DID I JUST DO. So yeah. I hope you won't maim me for any mistakes I left in. I'll probable do a major edit on this during Winter Break. Hope you enjoyed.

REVIEWS ARE WANTED, CHERISHED, LOVED AND USED WITH JUNK FOOD AS FUEL FOR MORE WRITING.  
(You can tell I'm a review whore, can't you?)

Thank you once again for encouraging me! I love ALL OF YOU GUYS!


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